Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-07-16
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
"REMINISCENCES OF APPLE BUTTER
 MAKING AND FLANNEL NcNNG.S

Two Popular Customs which Prevailed
 Among the Settlers Away Baek-HOw
 the Apple Butter was Made-PuIIing
 the Home Made Flannel.
 CT have seen many newspaper accounts recently of customs that prevailed among the settlers swey back, all Of .hem born of necessity. But there were two that prevailed in COshOcton, the county in which was raised, in the great old state Of Ohio, that seems tO have been over looked or probably entirely forgotten One of them was apple butter boiling and the other was flannel kicking Talk about the fun they had at apple cuttings, corn huskings, quiltings, etc, but for genuine, uproariOus fun flannel kicking would knock them all out in one round. Every new house had it's old one, which was left standing, generally in close proximity to the new, which was used for all manner Of purposes. The old fashioned loom, which almost every thrifty farmer pos sessed, was set up there. The big broad fireplace, , or ( feet wide. with it's big crane on which to hang heavy kettles and pots, was always in order and was used when boiling the apple butter, a large
 
 purpose But few families could afford he luxury of a large copper kettle, conse- NVently one served large neighbOrhOOd, .oing the rounds every apple butter sea aon.
 BOILING APPLE BUTTER.
 ''Ths lcg house was usually but one A-4e room. It took two couples to boil loI.le butter-always two fellows with rhnfr- hae r~f-1a rarrrrfraH orff a4f ling, which wS usually done with board about ! inches wide by about 2 feet long, with holes bored through it and handle about feet long, l) that the fellow and his best girl could handle it easily. While they stirred the .sher couple were having most delight fJIl time of in one corner of the room, there being no light except dim, relig .ous one from the fire. Of course they changed places quite frequently, for the couple at the handle could not endure that kind of thing for any length Of time, knowing what a high old time the other couple were having away of in the cor ner. They were being deprived of their opportunities. This thing usually lasted | all night, and as a rule the little party | were not interrupted by meddlers, and | they had a blissful season free from the | rude gaze of any one
 But the crOwning glory, the boss fun, | was the flannel kicking. As have before | stated, almost every old house had its l loom, on which the women wOve fiannels | -linsey wOOlsey, casinets and linen. l sigh for the days when I used to wear thi, | home made linen. Pillow slips, sheets, | shirts, pants and short tailed roundabOutG l all made of the same piece of goods. | There were no long tailed summer coats | !n those days. This linen was stout, and | fl boy or even a good sized man caught ! the seat of his pants on a splinter in climb ing rail fence or on nail he hung there. I It would hold him every time.
 "The flannel was usually woven in | wehs, or pieces of go or 70 yards, and of I course it had to be fulled before it was in I proper condition Co be made up into gar meuts. Pulling mills were a thing almost ! unheard Of fin that country at that | time, and some way must be devised to I thicEen up or full the flannel, and they I did it Co perfection. I have attended | mAnya kicking, and my recollection of 1 them Is as vivid as if it had occurred but | year ago.
 A FLANNEL KICKING.
 "The boys and girls of the neighbor- hoOd-which took in a range of several | miles-were notified that on a certain T evening they were going to have flannel T kicking. and it needed no urging to gather in enough to make up party. The flannel I was placed in a loose pile in the middle of the fOOr-usually in that same old log | house-chairs were placed around it. | forming complete circle. The boys and | girls filled the chairs, and then a blow | line or rope was passed around the out !! side of the chairs, drawn through the I backs, tO hold them in position. Ofcourse the performers I'll faced toward the fan | mel The boys with their trOwsers rolled up above their knees; and the girls-well, the girls in those days were not incUm- bered with as much tOggery Es they wear now.
 ''Soapsuds-as hot as the operators could possibly bear it-was then poured | ou the flannel, and then the fun com meuced in dead earnest. every one kick ing the pile of flannel fer dear life-the boys laughing and yelling, the girls screaming, and the SOapsuds spirtiug up and out in reckless prodigality. When ,he studs became absorbed and began tO cool more hot suds were poured on, and then fresh Outburst Of kicking and spirit ing, laughing and screaming began, their feet and legs looking as red as boiled lob -t-rs
 This usually lasted about three hours, the old folks pouring on the hot sOapsuds and looking and enjoying the thing about As much as the younger ones. Itwas rare tuu. and the writer of this article remem- bcrs it better than almost anything else in ,he way of parties in his young days. Of course the work wuS not so well done as !, is done nowadays in the mills, but it answered the purpose. and everybody was satisfied with it. Alas for the days that will never come back. tine days when all these customs prevailed in C0shoctOu county. ."-' Walhanding' in Chicago Tribune.